In recent years mobile communication services using, for example, systems such as PHS (Personal Handyphone System), PDC (Personal Digital Cellular telecommunication system), and CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) have become widely used due to the development of smaller, lighter-weight communication terminal apparatuses, improvements in communication quality, and reductions in both apparatus prices and telephone call charges.
Some communication terminal apparatuses for using mobile communication services have photography functions. Visual communication is stimulated by the use of such communication terminal apparatuses, as not only exchanges of voice conversation and electronic mail text information, but also photographs of a user's facial expressions, and scenery of travel destinations and the like can be taken and sent to another person.
A particular type of conventional communication terminal apparatus having a photography function is foldable, and is provided with a photographic lens in a position which is exposed when the apparatus is in a folded state, and a display device, which displays a photographed image, in a position which is concealed in the folded state. Further, a mirror is provided in a position which can be viewed in the same field of view as the lens. Note that the display device and the lens cannot be viewed within the same field of view.
According to this communication terminal apparatus, when a user faces the lens to take a photograph of himself/herself, because he/she cannot see the display device, there is an inconvenience of being unable to verify the exact image being photographed, however this inconvenience is solved to some extent by using the image reflected in the mirror as a guideline for the image being photographed.
Some other conventional communication terminal apparatuses having photography functions have a straight shape which is not foldable, and are provided with a photographic lens and a display device which displays the photographed image on an opposite surface of a casing to the surface on which the lens is provided. Further, a mirror is provided in a position which can be viewed in the same field of view as the lens.
The image reflected in the mirror is also used as a guideline for the image being photographed in this communication terminal apparatus when a user takes a photograph of himself/herself, because the lens and the display device cannot be viewed at the same time.
However, a problem exists in both of the abovementioned conventional communication terminal apparatuses in that repeated re-photography is necessary as an anticipated image composition is gained with difficulty when a user takes a photograph of himself/herself, because the image reflected in the mirror is not the exact image being photographed.